


Observations on the Initiative

by Politzania



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, POV Pepper Potts, The Avengers (2012) Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:29:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27540817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Politzania/pseuds/Politzania
Summary: Pepper knew it was only a matter of time before Tony put the suit on; but at least this time he had a team on his side.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26
Collections: Pepperony Bingo 2020, Tony Stark Bingo Mark IV





	Observations on the Initiative

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dixiehellcat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dixiehellcat/gifts).



> Name of Piece: Observations on the Initiative  
> Card Number: 4007  
> Name of Participant: PoliZ  
> TSB Square Number: A1 - Canon Compliant  
> Pepperony Bingo Square: B1 - The Avengers  
> Rating: General  
> Pairing: Pepperony ( Pepper Potts/Tony Stark)  
> Warning/Major Tags: Canon Compliant, The Avengers (2012) setting, Pepper POV  
> Summary: Pepper knew it was only a matter of time before Tony put the suit on; but at least this time he had a team on his side.  
> Word Count: 1067  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27540817

Pepper was much more disappointed than she let on. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration, a special moment between her and Tony. But Phil - underneath his usual cool, collected exterior - was truly shaken by something. Despite his and Tony’s somewhat rocky history, he wouldn’t have overridden JARVIS unless he had a damn good reason. 

After Phil explained himself, Pepper told Tony she was taking the jet to DC instead of, as he put it, ‘bunking over’. She knew he needed to be able to focus, to determine why the Avengers Initiative was being activated and what, exactly, would be his part in it. She wanted to believe it was just consulting work, but she knew better. Tony would be putting on the armor at the first opportunity; he’d proven more than once that he indeed was Iron Man. 

Nevertheless, Tony needed to remember that she had a claim on him as well. So Pepper whispered a few filthy promises in his ear, then sealed it with a kiss. Playing her departure cool, she walked with Phil to the elevator, asking if she could catch a ride with him to LaGuardia before pumping him for information about his cellist girlfriend. 

The minute the doors closed, Phil turned to her and apologized. “We need him, Ms, Potts. His intellect, not just the armor.” 

“And it couldn’t wait til morning?” 

“No,” Phil replied gravely, “I’m afraid not.” 

The flight from New York to Washington was roughly an hour and a half; but instead of using the time to prepare for the next day’s meetings, Pepper found herself pondering the glimpses she’d caught of the briefing material Tony had been given. She knew more than she probably should about the ‘remarkable people’ that Phil and his superior, Nick Fury appeared to be bringing together after all; she had recognized several of the faces in the digital dossiers.

Discovering that Natalie Rushman was actually a SHIELD operative hadn’t sat well with Pepper; even if she had helped save Tony’s life. Pepper hated being lied to, and she resented her former employee’s evaluation of Tony, despite the elements which were more or less correct. That said, Pepper had been amused to learn of Happy’s crush on the red headed agent, which he admitted had only intensified when she took out the majority of Hammer’s guards during the mess at the Expo.

And then there was Doctor Bruce Banner, who, according to Tony, was a brilliant researcher who had accidentally transformed himself into one of the mysterious monsters that had wreaked havoc through Harlem several months after their own destructive dealings with Stane. Tony had also told her that he wasn’t surprised that General Ross was involved in that mess; ‘Old Thunderbolt’ had been pursuing information on Erskine’s super-soldier serum for years. 

Along with Banner, Romanoff and a handsome, well-built blond code named Thor, Captain America himself had popped up on one of the screens. Pepper had grown up with a vague knowledge of the WWII superhero who had sacrificed himself by flying a plane full of bombs into the Arctic. She learned from Tony that his father had been instrumental in helping transform the scrawny, sickly young man into a super-soldier. 

“I always thought Dad considered Rogers his greatest creation,” he’d commented with a touch of bitterness. “He spent so damn much time trying to find him.” And it seemed that perhaps someone finally had; Pepper had only gotten a glimpse of the screen before leaving Tony to his work, but she could swear there had been an image of a figure in a block of ice as part of Captain Rogers’ dossier. 

The next morning, Pepper’s phone rang while she was en route to the Pentagon. “Hi honey.” Tony’s voice was raised over a rumble of background noise. “Listen, I’m not gonna be able to make it to DC.”

“Rhodey’s going to be disappointed,” Pepper responded, trying to push the feeling of dread from her mind. 

“You have no idea,” Tony replied cryptically. 

“Where are you, anyways?” 

“On a ship, with Coulson, somewhere over the Atlantic.” Before Pepper could comment on the odd combination of ‘ship’ and ‘over the Atlantic’, he added, “There’s some weird shit going on and it looks like SHIELD is in the thick of it.” 

“Do you have the armor with you?” 

“Like my AMEX, I don’t leave home without it.” His attempt at humor fell flat for her, but she appreciated the attempt. 

“Be careful, Tony.” 

“I’ll do my best, Miss Potts.” 

The next time Pepper saw Tony, it was on the SI jet’s television - grainy and poorly framed footage of the terrible battle in New York that had caused all air traffic to be re-directed away from the city. A blue beam of light shot straight up from the Tower to some sort of portal that alien soldiers and giant monsters were pouring through; Tony had clearly soft-pedaled the ‘weird shit’. 

She caught glimpses of red and gold, Tony in his armor blasting the flying leviathans as the rest of Fury’s new team fought to protect the city. Pepper’s heart stopped when the announcer said a few minutes later “... we do know that billionaire Tony Stark’s Iron Man seems to be guiding a missile straight for the source of the invasion.” She strained her eyes, struggling to see the tiny dot soaring up toward the gaping maw in the sky. And then it disappeared. 

The flight crew erupted in cheers a few moments later, watching the invaders drop lifeless to the ground like puppets whose strings had been cut. But all Pepper could do was stare numbly at her phone — its screen showed one missed call: Tony. Her eyes blurred with tears; he had reached out to her and she hadn’t been there, making him face whatever was on the other side of that portal alone. When her phone rang again, she picked up out of habit. 

“Hello?” 

“Miss Potts,” JARVIS intoned, “I wish to inform you that Sir has returned to the Tower. He is sporting minor injuries, but wants to assure you that he’ll be fine. Apparently he’s taking the Avengers out for shawarma.” 

Pepper held back a sob of relief. Her life with Tony would clearly never be normal; but she wouldn’t give it up for the world. 

“Thank you, JARVIS. Tell him to order basbousa for dessert. He won’t regret it.”


End file.
